Regenerative Chocolate Retreat

October 16-19, 2015

Join Emily Stone of Maya Mountain Cacao and Pearl Wong, Chocolate Wizard, for a very intimate, interesting and delicious weekend at Playa Viva. This trip includes an excursion up the watershed to visit with local cacao farmers. We will assess the current state of cacao growing in the region working directly with farmers on how to improve farming and fermentation processes. Plus, a not to be missed chocolate-making training session in the Playa Viva kitchen with the our Chocolate Wizard.

Workshop Details

We will visit with a local cacao farmer as well as explore the opportunities for investment in organic, sustainable and better business practices for delivering quality chocolate to meet the rising demand for and diminishing global availability of cacao.

We especially invite social and environmental impact investors who are interested in pursuing opportunities in cacao and sustainable agriculture.

This workshop will be held after the Opportunity Collaboration conference in Ixtapa and we invite conference attendees to join us.

Workshop Fee of $200 covers the excursion up the watershed to meet with cacao farmers as well as the Chocolate Making sessions in the Playa Viva kitchen with the "Wizard." Fee subject to change if activities in the course change.

To sign up for this workshop please send an email to info@playaviva.com and specifically state you want to be part of the Regenerative Chocolate Retreat.

Emily Stone is the Guatemala-based co-founder and CEO of Maya Mountain Cacao (Belize), Cacao Verapaz (Guatemala), and the Uncommon Cocoa Group. Stone's work has been recognized for impact by Ashoka, Agora Partnerships, the McNulty Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, the William James Foundation, and more. Originally from Boston, MA, USA, she has lived in Central America since 2010 and has a BA from Georgetown University

About Pearl Wong, Chocolate Wizard

I am a trained craft chocolate maker (Dandelion Chocolate). This year I am traveling through various parts of the U.S. and Central and South America.

Like many of my fellow makers, I care about transparency and integrity in the cacao and chocolate industries. I am taking to the roads (paved, dirt, gravel, water, and air) to explore, learn, and work with chocolate makers and cacao farmers to establish real connections and relationships person-to-person and cacao-to-chocolate.

My goals are to learn how cacao growing communities operate and sustain (or want to sustain) themselves and provide them with any resources or skills they may need to achieve their goals. Whether that is connecting them with craft chocolate makers and distributors or teaching them the intricate art of chocolate making, I aim to contribute in any way possible to the fine cacao and craft chocolate movement to supply high quality, fine flavor cacao to the ever burgeoning market demand.